Fragile flat articles, such as framed art, mirrors or the like, are often required to be shipped to a distant location. Due to vibration, shock and general rough treatment of these shipped packages during commonly used truck transportation, the fragile article contained in the package may often be broken or damaged during shipment. While a variety of packaging containers have been both suggested and used for protecting fragile flat articles during shipment, none have proved entirely satisfactory.
Attempts have previously been made to immobilize and cushion an article being shipped in order to prevent damage. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,281,657 a package is taught wherein flat articles are protected against abrasion by being so firmly held within the package that no rubbing can take place. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,967 discloses a package wherein the article to be shipped is immobilized and cushioned by use of corrugated paperboard and filler material, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,209 teaches the use of foam plastic to immobilize and cushion the article. Moreover, preformed rigid foam cushioning corner frames have been used to hold flat fragile articles, however, the large variety of article sizes and shapes has made these preformed frames impracticable.
While the prior packaging containers have achieved limited success, a major shortcoming remains their lack of versatility for packaging large varieties of articles, and the inadequate protection they provide against damage, particularly vibrational damage, caused by shipment. Thus, there is a need in the art for a shipping package which will permit the shipping of flat fragile items, without the damage normally associated with the present containers.